The Edge of Destruction

] [ cite web
url= http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_c.htm
title= Inside the Spaceship
publisher = Doctor Who Reference Guide
author =
date =
accessdate = 2008-08-30 ] [ cite web
url= http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/c.html
title= Inside The Spaceship
publisher = A Brief History of Time Travel
last = Sullivan
first = Shannon
date = 2006-02-25
accessdate = 2008-08-30 ] This story was written by story editor David Whitaker within two days. It was created as a hasty "filler" story so that the series would fit a thirteen episode run, which was all that had been granted at that stage. Budgetary restrictions meant that only the four regular actors and the TARDIS sets could be used for the filming. Perhaps as a result of this, this is the least expensive "Doctor Who" serial ever, and the second episode ("The Brink of Disaster") is the cheapest episode ever. (Today, this type of production using existing sets and no additional cast is common practice among television productions and is called a "bottle show"). In fact it was the cheapness of this serial that producer Verity Lambert used to calm the fears of her BBC superiors that "Doctor Who" would be too expensive a commitment for the corporation. (The most expensive episode to date is, according to "SFX" #152, the 2007 Tenth Doctor episode, "The Shakespeare Code.")

The "fast return" switch label on the TARDIS console appears to be written in felt-tip pen. Exactly why this was done is uncertain; on the DVD, documentary designer Raymond Cusick guesses that it was written during rehearsals as a guide, and producer Verity Lambert surmises that it may have been written so that Hartnell could find the switch. Both agree, however, that the label was probably never intended to be seen. Carole Ann Ford states the she and William Hartnell labeled controls on the TARDIS control panel during rehearsal, and assumed they would be blotted out before production.cite video
people=Levine, Ian (Producer)
title=Over the Edge: the making of "The Edge of Destruction"
medium=DVD documentary]

Alternative titles

The two episodes of the serial had individual titles. They were, respectively, "The Edge of Destruction" and "The Brink of Disaster." As was the case with other early "Doctor Who" serials, there are differences of opinion as to the appropriate umbrella title for this serial.

Various titles used over the years include:

*"Inside the Spaceship" — the only title known to have been used on 1960s production documents, also used by writer David Whitaker in all correspondence throughout his life.
*"Beyond the Sun" — used on the first edition of the 1974 BBC Enterprises sales catalogue "A Quick Guide to Dr. Who", although the second edition declines to give any title for the story. It was actually a working title for "The Daleks" and has also at times been attributed to an unmade story by Malcolm Hulke called "The Hidden Planet".
*"The Brink of Disaster" — the title of the second episode, arbitrarily adopted for a fan list in the seeming absence of anything else.
*"The Edge of Destruction" — the title of the first episode, arbitrarily adopted for the 1976 second edition of "The Making of Doctor Who" in the absence of any other known title, and subsequently used on the novelisation, VHS and DVD releases of the stories.

"See: Doctor Who story title controversy"

Doctorwhobook
title=The Edge of Destruction
series=Target novelisations
number=132
featuring=


writer=Nigel Robinson
publisher=Target Books
coverartist=Alister Pearson
isbn=0 426 20327 5
set_between=
pages=
date=20 October 1988
preceding=The Ultimate Foe
following=The Smugglers|

Commercial releases

The serial was released on VHS in 2000. Later in 2006, it was included on "The Beginning" DVD box set, along with the previous two serials.

In print

A novelisation of this serial, written by Nigel Robinson, was published by Target Books on 20 October 1988 under the title "The Edge of Destruction". It was the 132nd Doctor Who novelisation by Target Books. The cover was made by Alister Pearson. cite web|url=http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1988/edge/88edge.htm|title=The Edge of Destruction at On Target|accessdate=2006-09-04|last=Neal|first=Tim]

References

External links

*BBCCDW | id=edgeofdestruction | title=The Edge of Destruction
*Brief | id=c | title=Inside The Spaceship
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_c | title=Inside the Spaceship
*OG | id=c | title=The Edge of Destruction

Reviews

*DWRG | id=edge | title=The Edge of Destruction
*OG review | id=c | title=The Edge of Destruction

Target novelisation

*OG review | id=c-book | title=The Edge of Destruction | description=novelisation
* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1988/edge/88edge.htm On Target — "The Edge of Destruction"]